Now that hurricane season in underway, it's a good time to talk about travel insurance. Data on hurricanes is iffy at best, and throughout the season no one really knows how many there'll be, where they'll hit, or what their impact will be. You'd like to plan a timeshare rental vacation to one of Florida's beautiful beaches, or to the Caribbean, or even to Hawaii or Mexico, and you can't sit around waiting for exact information on hurricanes and tropical storms. So, you head for your timeshare beach vacation anyway - and the odds are you'll have a great vacation with no hurricane in sight.

But, of course, you never know. That's where travel insurance can come in mighty handy. Travel insurance is also handy for other potential problems such as earth quakes, severe flooding, or tsunami - when you could require emergency evacuation.

You might want to consider travel insurance for the following contingencies:

Trip Cancellation - if you are prevented from taking a trip for a covered reason such as mandatory evacuation of your destination.

Trip Interruption - helpful if you have to cut a trip short, and might also compensate for any additional transportation costs.

Trip Delay - can compensate for incurred expenses such as accommodations, meals and transportation if you are delayed more than 6 hours.

Evacuation you might need emergency medical evacuation back home. Or, a prime example of this is the tourists who were caught in Haiti after the devastating earthquake were able to leave the country via private evacuation planes.

The Unexpected Medical emergencies, automobile accidents, and even a natural disaster at home before you leave.

Be aware that purchasing a full travel insurance policy may be unnecessary if you already have some protection. For example, many credit cards also provide holders with travel protection benefits such as coverage for lost bags, and even trip interruption or cancellation. Also check with your automobile, home owners, and medical insurance policies.

Make sure you always read the fine print in any travel insurance policy, especially to know exactly what it won't cover, such as normal weather conditions (a rainy day), changing your mind about the trip, preexisting health conditions, and voluntarily going into a war zone (although some policies do have terrorist clauses). You may or may not be covered for hazardous pursuits such as extreme skiing, mountain climbing, etc.

So don't sit at home afraid to travel during hurricane season or any other time - or to any place. Take precautions, research travel insurance policies, and then head out on your timeshare vacation ready to relax, have fun, and generally be glad you went!